Lil Wayne'I COULD'VE DIED' IN ICU

3/29/2013 6:05 AM PDT

Lil Wayne -- 'I Could've Died' in ICU

Lil Wayne said publicly for the first time what we told you about 2 weeks ago ... he was near death after suffering multiple, violent seizures.

Wayne, during an interview with Power 106 in L.A. yesterday, said he's an epileptic and prone to seizures. And he said ... he's been having seizures for a long time.

As for the episodes earlier this month that landed him in ICU for 6 days at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ... Wayne said he suffered 3 seizures in a row and his heart rate went down to 30%, adding, "I could've died."